© 1999 VNN
|
WORLD March 17, 1999 VNN3347 Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja Visits Murwillumbah (1) BY SRIDAM SAKHA DASA  AUSTRALIA, Mar 17 (VNN) — Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja Visits Murwillumbah Australia, Part 1Monday, December 28, 1998 1st day Murwillumbah. Today Srila Maharaja arrived in Murwillumbah, having travelled from Perth. As last year and the year before he was hosted by Vraja vallabha prabhu and Mekhala didi along with all the other travelling devotees. Srila Maharaja did not stay in the main house but in another, smaller, octagonal building next to a stream a short walk away, in quite idyllic surroundings. Murwillumbah is a beautiful part of Australia and the place where we stayed is situated in a very steep-sided tropical forest valley. A large group of devotees had assembled to greet Srila Maharaja, and he spoke for a short time. "I'm very happy to come here. For a long time I wanted to come because so many senior and sincere devotees are here. There are two places. Here and Badger, New Vraja (another devotee community where Srila Maharaja has a large number of disciples, in California). Especially nowadays, devotees need so much water. Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja has given some seeds, which sprouted somewhat, but are now lacking water. Some creepers have almost died. Others, having no tree to climb, are becoming weaker and weaker. No-one is sincerely helping them. So param pujya Svami Maharaja, Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Astottara-sata Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja, inspired me that: 'You should go - your going is so much needed now, otherwise many devotees will dry.' There is no good sanga and now everywhere bhakti is polluted. They don't know what bhakti is. They make offences and they think, 'Oh, this is bhakti.' They are not properly giving honour nor serving pure devotees. I think Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja is so much unhappy for this. Now wherever I go everywhere so many people are asking me, 'How did Svami Maharaja depart from this world?' I have heard this question so many times. (referring to poisoning allegations) I become very sad. I cannot answer. This is why they have no faith in anyone. They want to serve Srila Prabhupada, but they cannot because they don't know the meaning of suddha bhakti anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam anukulyena krsnanu- silanam bhaktir uttama Many leading devotees only know how to collect money, and put 99% of it in their pockets, so because of this everyone is losing their faith in devotees, even in God, Krsna. So many disciples of ISKCON don't accept Gaudiya Vaisnavism. 'Oh Srila Prabhupada established a new movement.' But he only gave that same love and affection from Srila Rupa gosvami, except in a different bottle. Srila Svami Maharaja and my guru inspired me so much to go to western and eastern countries and to try to preach. Only for these things. I don't want money, disciples, name or pratistha. You are all my friends and I want to help you." Srila Maharaja then said that he did not want to sit on a high vyasasana distanced from all the devotees, where they would view him with a mood of reverence. Rather, he said, he wanted the devotees to be able consider him as their dear friend with whom they could speak freely and openly at any time. He continued: "We should try to develop our Krsna consciousness. Although you are householders no harm, your life is only to serve Radha Krsna, not to taste wife, husband, children, house and all these things. Brahmaji has prayed: aho bhagyam aho bhagyam nanda-gopa-vrajaukasam yan-mitram paramanandam purnam brahma sanatanam "I bow down to all of the inhabitants of Nandagaon, the gopis, gopas, trees, creepers, peacocks, because they are all beloved of Krsna, and He played with them. Krsna the supreme personality of Godhead was controlled by their love and affection. So their love and affection we want to give you. This is also what Srila Svami Maharaja wanted to give, not only to engage all in selling books and getting big, big buildings, but not honouring internal things." (Srila Prabhupada also said: "*By all means we must preserve our spiritual status*, that is the point, not that we are mad after big buildings, many devotees, life-members, this, that--no, these are only ways to engage the devotees so that they may apply the principles of devotional living to some kind of work for practical realisation of these principles. It is not the result of the work we want." Letter to: Tejiyas : 72-12-19 Bombay) "We should try to understand what the instrinsic mood of Srimati Radharani and gopis was and try to follow. If you are following unwanted things and you make offences then acaryas will leave you very quickly. We should be so engaged that we have not one minute to think of all these external things." Monday, December 28, 1998 This evening, Srila Maharaja spoke to a group of about one hundred devotees. "First of all lakhs and lakhs pranams to my spiritual guru Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja and also in the lotus feet of my siksa guru Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja. By their causeless mercy I'm able to come here, very far away. So they should be causelessly merciful to you all. I've served not only my guru but perhaps all prominent disiciples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta sarasvati Thakura so I am very fortunate. Param-pujyapada Srila Srauti Maharaja, Param-pujyapada Srila Giri Maharaja, Param-pujyapada Bhaktiraksaka Sridhar Maharaja, Param-pujyapada Naimi Maharaja, Param-pujyapada Vaikanash Maharaja, Param-pujyapada Bhakti Pramode Puri Maharaja, Param-pujyapada Jajavar Maharaja as well as my siksa guru Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja. From the beginning I have been so fortunate to serve him. Gaudiya vaisnavism is the same as ISKCON. All are in Krsna consciousness coming from Krsna, Brahma, Narada, Vyasa, Sukadeva Gosvami, Srila Svarupa Damodara, Srila Ramananda Raya all the way down to my guru and Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja. And this line will go on, it will not stop. We should have strong faith in this. It is transcendental and will not be broken until this universe is annihilated. These are the words of Brahma and Vyasa. This line has not stopped after Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja. You should always be thinking that a pure vaisnava will come, the world is not empty of them. Krsna will arrange for this, or He will come personally as He did in the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We see that when there is no suitable person to take the post of Brahma or Sankara to manage this world, then He occupies these positions Himself. So why should He not send a bonafide vaisnava guru to us. Vaisnavas are always there. "Srila Prabhupada was the last acarya, and I am the last after him." Don't believe in this ritvik theory. It is very bogus. Nowhere is it mentioned in our transcendental epics. Ritvik is temporary, and only meant for sacrifices for the fulfilment of wordly desires so there is no place for it here. This ritvik idea is pure bogus. Don't believe in bogus ideas. A very good devotee, madhyama class is always present in this world, whatever shape. I've written something about this, it is now available to the devotees in one book called 'The True Conception of Guru Tattva.' If you read it then you will understand everything about guru and bhagavat parampara. "One thing I should tell you. This world has come from Krsna - not directly, but from His manifestations. Krsna is always in Vrndavana, sinking in the love and affection of the gopis. But at the same time He is omniscient, sarvajna, having so many lakhs of manifestations that it is beyond your imagination. So He can create this world in one second and He can also very easily destroy it in one second too. Not only one world, but lakhs. He's so powerful that if he wants to act, no human can do anything. Now devotees worry: 'Oh war is coming, and bombs, so we should stay in a place which is safe.' But you should not fear for this. If Krsna is going to destroy you, then you cannot do anything. Once Calcutta was being attacked by Japan and everyone was wondering where to take shelter. Some Oriyan vaisnavas assembled and saw a very big heap of dry straw, and thought: "If we hide in here, then the bomb cannot touch us." But a spark from the bomb came and they all died. So we are more intelligent than them. Don't worry for this. Take shelter of Krsna. Death cannot touch you, this soul is immortal, it cannot be touched by water, fire, ether or anything. You are reading Bhagavad gita, but you are not understanding it if you are still worrying for this. The Bhagavad gita is a primary book, it is not post graduate like Srimad Bhagavatam. So read Bhagavad gita, understand these teachings. "So Krsna has arranged everything. Remain here very patiently do not flee to escape a bomb or any disaster. Remain where you are. Whether you are grhastha, brahmacari, or sannyasi, you can remain in Murwillumbah, but your mind should always be in Vrndavana. In Vrndavana there are bees humming on lotus flowers, so many deer, beli, cameli and jui flowers, transcendental Radha-Krsna. Thinking of this chant Harinama. In Vrndavana no bomb can come. Neither Putana nor Bakasura or any demon can come there. Yogamaya allowed them to enter so that some lila could take place. Otherwise it is not possible. In transcendental Vrndavana, (aprakat) no Agha, Putana or Kamsa exist, only some conception of them is there in the minds of the residents of Vrndavana. So don't be worried. If you go to a desert in the middle of Australia and make an underground home then it may be that a fire will come anyhow and you'll die, so don't go. Make your heart peaceful and stay where you are. And when Krsna calls you, be ready to come like a dog: 'come on come on.' A vaisnava has no problem except for how to serve and have darsan of Krsna. We should try to understand Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mood when he went to Puri: 'how will I see Krsna, where is He?' rolling on the ground, weeping. So In seven days we cannot tell so much, but you should chant and remember, take it in your heart and follow. Then surely you'll be happy you'll have strong faith, and will never have any doubt. 'Gauranga bolite habe pulaka sarire.' Srila Narottama das Thakura was a very high vaisnava, in Krsna lila he is Anuvilasa manjari who descended to this world to preach the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He took initiation from Srila Lokanath Gosvami. How renounced he was. Srila Lokanath Gosvami and Bhugarbha Gosvami were school friends of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ordered them to go to Vrndavana, and to make a place for Him to go. Srila Lokanath Gosvami made a vow not to take any disciples. His bhajan kutir was in Kisori Kunda in Khadirvana. So when Srila Narottama das Thakura approached Srila Lokanath Gosvami for diksa, Srila Lokanath Gosvami refused to make this prince his disciple. But Srila Narottama das Thakura was determined, and at night he would secretly go to clear away the stool from the place where Srila Lokanath Gosvami would go to pass. After some time, Srila Lokanath Gosvami caught him doing this seva red handed. At this time, Srila Narottama das Thakura was only fifteen years old. Weeping, he begged Srila Lokanath Gosvami to allow him to take shelter from his lotus feet, saying: 'If you don't shower your mercy on me, I'll take my life.' So we should be a disciple like him. If we want Krsna prema, especially conjugal love, then we will have to weep for Radha and Krsna. if we we have so many worldy desires up to here (Srila Maharaja brings his hand level with his throat) then we cannot have these things. So he's singing 'When will that day come when, uttering "O Saci Nandana Gaurahari" I will weep bitterly.' This is the natural way to have conjugal love. First we must have it fixed as our object of life. How to achieve it will come second. How can we know what is our goal? By association with a very high class of vaisnava. Krsna's mercy is everywhere, but especially in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He is Krsna, none other, but now He is combined with the mood and beauty of Srimati Radharani. The mercy of both Radha and Krsna are contained in Gaurahari. Srimati Radharani is more merciful and powerful than Krsna. What He does, He cannot do without her. For instance, when Krsna lifted Govardhana, actually it was done by Srimati Radharani. The desire was Krsna's, but She fulfilled it. Without Srimati Radharani Krsna cannot taste any hladini or ananda. Krsna has combined with Srimati Radharani to appear as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to distribute mercy which none of the devas could give. Nor is it being showered in Vaikuntha, Ayodhya, Dvaraka, Mathura or anywhere else. Krsna is the object of prema for the gopas and gopis. But He's not giving prema to anyone. Only in the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna distributing this prema. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is giving love and affection to all, even to those who have no pot to contain it. Even that pot He is giving. Krsna will give to the devotee according to their qualification, the size of their pot. ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham 'I'll give accordingly.' He cannot give more. He has some scales and he will weigh you, to see how qualified you are. If you have no pot, then you will have to return. And if you do have, he'll give according to your capacity. But with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, there is no need of pot. He gave so much mercy even to Jagai and Madai. So if you're going to any pure devotee of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, you can easily know the goal of life. gauranga balite habe pulaka sarira. So we should cry and pray to Him like this, 'When will our hairs stand on end and our heart melt, as we chant Harinama?' hari hari balite nayane ba'be nira. Sometimes when you're chanting Hare Krsna Hare Krsna from the interior of your heart you can realize this, and tears will come, it is a very high thing. Your life will be successful if you've realized it. But without this Krsna prema you cannot relish it. hari hari bolite nayane "Then we will chant, hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare. Here hare means hara, Srimati Radharani. hare krsna means Radha-Krsna. And Rama in hare rama means Radha-raman, it is a very good name. But there is not so much rasa in the names of Krsna or Srimati Radharani as there is in the maha mantra 'hare krsna' and 'hare rama.' So Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was always chanting this. --end-- All of the tours completed to date are archived at the following site: http://www.igvp.com/tours Comment on this Story This story URL: http://vaishnava-news-network.org/world/WD9903/WD17-3347.html
|
